Love Everlasting
by sonu779
Summary: Marriage Law fic. Made my own OC for Hermione's husband. Drinny pairing as well. First fanfiction ever so don't be too mean. Please review.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Harry Potter all credit and such go out to J.K. Rowling. I just like to play with other people's toys.**

Prologue: Surprise!

Hermione Granger: Muggle-born, top of her class at Hogwarts, "Brightest Witch of her Age", Order of Merlin First Class, 1/3 of the Golden Trio and according to the Sunday edition of the _Daily Prophet:_ soon to be wife.

 **Scandalous Marriage Law Passed by Acting Minister Shacklebolt**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1: Coming to terms

Hermione:

Well, she certainly wasn't expecting this when she came over for lunch at the Burrow on Sunday.

"They can't blood well do this can they," she practically screeched. Mrs. Weasley gave her a sympathetic look before handing her a cup of peppermint tea. "I'm afraid they can and they are Hermione," she sighed pouring more tea into another cup. She had nearly fainted when she had woken up to prepare breakfast and had been presented with such a shocking headline that early in the morning.

"Be a dear and go hand this to Ginny will you Hermione?" Molly asked while placing the second cup of tea in her hand. Hermione, still riding an emotional high, could do nothing but nod and start up the stairs. She couldn't believe it! The nerve of the Ministry to think they could just come in and decide people's lives without giving them a proper choice. Preposterous! Still fuming, Hermione reached Ginny's door and was just about to fling it open in outrage when she heard sniffling.

Her hand froze on the door as she heard voices in the room. Putting her ear up to the door she heard the tail end of Ginny's words "-I don't want to lose you Harry. I-" another sniffle. "I love you and only you. I'll never be happy with anyone else," she sobbed. "I know Gin" Hermione heard Harry say "I love you too and I don't want any girl but you." Feeling like a stalker for eavesdropping, Hermione rapped her knuckles on the door and opened it after a soft "come in." Her heart broke as she saw Ginny with her face buried in Harry's chest who was propped up on her headboard. "Hey Hermione," said Harry who gave her as much of a smile as he could. Hermione mustered a smile and nodded to him and walked over before tapping Ginny's shoulder and handing her the cup of tea once she got herself in a sitting position.

"Thanks Hermione"

"No problem Ginny" Hermione replied as she crossed over to the other bed in the room and sat down on it. Ginny wiped her eyes and took steady sips of the cool, warm liquid. A bit of an awkward silence formed in the room when no one had anything to contribute to a good conversation. "So you've heard the good news," spoke Harry sarcastically breaking the silence "looks like we're all getting married soon." Ginny let out another little sob before dropping the tea cup and running out the door to the bathroom.

Harry sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"Shit."

Hermione gave a genuine half smile at her friend's tactlessness. "My thoughts exactly" she concurred. Harry shook his head "didn't mean to upset her but I'm still trying to digest it, it's –" he shook his head again "its bloody mad Mione, how the hell do they expect us to just go along with their grand plans like little sheep." Hermione used a _Scourgify_ and a _Reparo_ on the tea and tea cup before answering "I don't know either Harry" she replied as she set the fully whole teacup on a bedside table "I don't know what they or Shacklebolt are thinking pulling something like this."

"Me neither, I mean I know the population is dwindling but does he seriously think betrothing people by force and making them have babies is the best idea?' Harry asked taking his glasses off and rubbing his eyes. "There not taking any suggestions for brides so they must be using some sort of charm for pairings," she said. Harry nodded "they must be, hey ya reckon that you'll be paired with- "

"Mione?" came a voice from the doorway. She spun around. She knew that voice. "Hey- hey Ron" she said with a forced upbeat expression. "Bloody hell" the redhead said with a wide grin "thought it was you come here" he said motioning for a hug. Though she was reluctant about it she got up and tentatively entered his arms reasoning that Ron wouldn't try anything with Harry in the room. "Missed you" he whispered into her ear making her shiver. "I missed you too" she replied more out of politeness than honesty.

She and Ron were….

She actually wasn't sure anymore. They had their fairytale kiss at the Battle of Hogwarts and it was perfection in such a dark moment. After the war they had agreed to give their relationship a shot and had publicly started dating before it all went downhill. Hermione wanted a slow relationship where they would focus on building up the emotional side of their relationship while Ron wanted everything now and complained when Hermione wasn't indulging his "needs" as he put it when he wanted. They had their first break up after a couple months when, during a fight, Ron mentioned how Lavender had let him do anything he wanted when they were dating prompting Hermione into tears. A week later they were back together after numerous apologies by Ron and his first romantic gesture when he appeared at her door and sang a verse from _Truly Madly Deeply_ by Savage Garden. After a couple more months Hermione called it quits on their relationship after realizing they were just not compatible and Ron was pushing too much for her to give him her virginity. She also realized she didn't like kissing and touching Ron because it was uncomfortable for her leading her to realize her crush on Ron was more of a big brother sort of thing and that they weren't right for each other because they were too different. Ron needed someone who would lavish attention and do what he wanted, a "trophy wife" of sorts while Hermione needed someone who could keep up with her intellectually and be more emotionally in tune.

Ron didn't see it that way. He believed that she, as he so eloquently put it, "was just doing her hard to get girl thing" saying she would return to him one way or another. He had kept flirting with her which grated on Hermione's nerves and told her parents numerous times how he believed they would end up together. Needless to say her parents were on his side and Cassandra Granger often invited Ron over for dinner where she would throw knowing looks at her daughter that made Hermione want to vomit. She knew who Harry was talking about and she sincerely hoped that it was not Ron Weasley who she was matched with.

She pulled away from the hug quickly while Ron turned his eyes to his best friend. "My sisters in the bathroom mate, and crying by the sound of it I figured you'd want to take care of her," implicitly telling Harry to get out so he could speak to Hermione. Harry was torn between comforting his girlfriend and separating his two best friends when he sighed and got up and walked over to the bathroom. Ron turned to Hermione and grinned "so-," he started before Hermione interrupted "I really have to give this back to your mom Ronald" she said using his full name while grabbing the tea cup. "Oh uh alright" he awkwardly scratched his head before stepping out of her way. Hermione exhaled the breath in her throat as she walked down the steps happy she had avoided another confrontation.

She remembered when she had come over for dinner last month and had been chatting with Ron in his room happy because he hadn't tried anything on her yet. She realized it had gotten late and when she stood up she gave Ron a hug and had turned around before he had grabbed her arm and swung her to him forcing his tongue in her mouth. She had slapped him hard before stomping out. She had used mouthwash three times all while cursing the ginger. She had stopped coming to lunch at the Burrow after that when she spent three weeks with her Grandma in the U.S. in order to get away from the stress of having to deal with everyone's urging to give Ron another chance. Harry and Ginny were the only ones on her side who also realized Ron was not worthy enough of Hermione and that they would be miserable together.

She had just walked into the kitchen when she saw Molly and Arthur Weasley in a passionate hug. "Oh god" she shouted nearly dropping the teacup and shattering it again. "Sorry Molly" she said flustered before turning around and started to nearly run out. "No that's quite alright Hermione" said Arthur Weasley "please come back I have something important to tell you."

That stopped her. Arthur worked in the Ministry of Magic so if he had something to tell her it was "-about the marriage law she questioned?" turning around. Arthur sighed before speaking "Molly you should get the other kids before I start." Mrs. Weasley sighed as well and gave him a peck on the cheek, they had started to show a lot more affection after the war, and walked over taking the teacup from Hermione's hands while starting up the stairs to gather everyone. "Come Hermione" said Arthur Weasley "maybe you should sit down on the sofa for this." Hermione exhale hard again before nodding and walking into the living room.

This was not going to be good.


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione:

Ron had come down easily enough, sauntering towards the couch and pointedly sitting next to Hermione. Harry and Ginny had taken a while for Molly to coax them to come down as the young couple were hesitant to face their very real problem. Eventually though the four teenagers were sat down and waiting as Mr. Weasley awkwardly ran a hand through his thinning, red hair while contemplating where to start.

He sighed before beginning "So how much have you kids heard?" Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny gave each other glances before Harry asked "Mr. Weasley is this actually going to happen, I mean they can't seriously think this is going to work or if we're going to stand by and let them do this to us." Arthur sighed again before speaking "I'm afraid so Harry the bills been passed already and I tried reasoning to Kingsley but he said his hands were tied." He spoke sternly this time while wagging a finger "Now kids I know he's an easy target but you cannot and I repeat cannot blame this on Kingsley, the law was not proposed by him and he voted against but the Ministry agreed it was best for everyone to have it passed." Ginny exploded out of her seat with her face still slightly splotchy from her tears and began shouting "for who dad! How is this bloody beneficial to anyone but the fucking Ministry?" she screeched.

"Ginevra" her father and mother shouted at the same time. "I will not tolerate that language in this house young lady" said Molly sternly. Ginny mumbled an apology before sitting back down and allowing Harry to lay his arm around her again while waiting for her father to answer. Arthur hesitated before answering "I know it doesn't sound right but you have to understand that tensions are high right now" he said "the population is still dwindling and there has been no increase in pregnancies with couples and the leftover death eaters are becoming a bigger issue." Hermione, who had been repeatedly shrugging Ron's hand off her shoulder who had gotten the idea from Harry and Ginny, spoke cautiously this time, "what do you mean a bigger issue Mr. Weasley" she questioned. Mr. Weasley nodded his thanks at his wife and accepted the cup of peppermint tea she handed him from which he took a sip before answering "the attacks Hermione, they've started again just like during your kid's fifth year they've been targeting muggleborns again on the outskirt towns away from large areas. The four kid's eyes widened as they digested this.

"But wait" Ron chimed in "what's that got to do with us getting married?" Arthur took another sip of tea "you see Ron there are rumors around the Aurors that many of the Pureblood families have been in contact with the death eaters again but this time there is support from foreign countries being bestowed upon them. Harry, who was immensely surprised by what he was hearing interjected," other countries are helping death eaters?" he asked. Mr. Weasley nodded "yes lad I'm afraid so, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named made his mark on several foreign leaders and they learned to fear him and in turn Bellatrix who they are too scared of to deny help. "So the Ministry marries everyone who is not married from 18-35 in order to present a united front as well as encourage everyone to reproduce to ensure the survival of future generations." Hermione concluded. Arthur nodded. A silence overtook the room as everyone took time to allow the information to marinate.

"Dad" said Ginny "mum said you had new information on the law to give us what is it?" Mr. Weasley handed his now empty cup to his wife who stayed where she was to hear the information. "Yes sweetheart I do" he confirmed. He started pacing back and forth in the living room while mumbling "where to start, where to start." Ron surprisingly spoke up first "how are they deciding who we have to marry dad?" he asked while staring pointedly at Hermione. Hermione refused to make eye contact with the ginger and looked anywhere else.

"Yes that's a good place to start" said Mr. Weasley stopping his pacing. "Everything I heard should be public in a few days but I wanted to inform you guys as soon as possible." He took a seat in a chair to compose himself before continuing. "Kingsley told me that spouses were chosen with a charm that matches people based on their interests, personality and overall compatibility. I'm told Professor Flitwick had a hand in its creation and I owled him for details."

"So it matches you with your soulmate" Ginny questioned. "Not exactly, it rather matches you up with someone that you are similar too and need in your life and in turn someone you may come to love as the magic to match soulmates is the stuff of legends as first you would have to find and know that someone is your soulmate" her father explained. Hermione was inwardly shouting happily as she realized that she and Ron were too different to ever get matched up" "But" Arthur began interrupting Hermione's mental victory lap "the Ministry also has been pulling everyone's files and subjecting them to examination in order to make sure there is human involvement in matches and make sure they are beneficial." Harry who was quietly pondering over everything spoke up "you mean beneficial to the ministry?"

Arthur sighed and scratched his head again. "That's right Harry, some couples are matched up by the ministry in order to ensure that familial ties force loyalties for some of the pureblood families while others may also be matched up for popularity reasons as they will impact the public more positively." Harry nodded at the answer while Hermione picked up the questions. "Mr. Weasley what are the expectations for each couple who are paired?" "According to Kingsley each couple must be married within a month of their pairing and are expected to live together and produce at least one child or at the very least provide evidence of attempts at conception during the mandatory five years they are married before divorce may be granted in order to ensure that the children do not suffer from any bad blood between parents." There was a shocked silence in the room as Mr. Weasley's words set in.

"Oh Arthur!" cried his wife "they want 18 year olds to have children this early they can't possibly expect that" Mr. Weasley could do nothing but nod at her "I know it's not right Molly but we can't do anything about it." He stated flatly. Ginny was the next to find her voice "what about cheating and spousal death Dad?" she asked "are they going to allow extra marital affairs?" obviously thinking about the worst case scenario in which her and Harry wouldn't get matched. "Ah yes," said Mr. Weasley "the Ministry has already signed an amendment in order to make sure no one cheats under penalty of an Azkaban sentence for which the time period is five years and as for spousal death the marriage law states that under the circumstances of the death of a spouse should no children have been conceived the widow will be repaired with a different husband or wife."

Ginny frowned at this answer and was obviously disappointed with what she had heard.

"So when are we going to get our matches for this?" asked Harry. He was estimating the time left he had with Ginny before he would be force to let her go. Arthur looked uncomfortable now and the silence in the room was deafening. "Exactly one week from now," he managed to get out. All four teenagers simultaneously shot out of their seats. None of them could believe they had such little time before they would be forced to marry someone else. Hermione was irate, first they forced this marriage law on her then they made it a rule that she had to be married in a month's time of receiving her match and now they were offering her only a week to prepare before matching her up.

However, it was Mrs. Weasley who was the one who spoke "but Arthur, why so fast? How has the Ministry matched everyone up so quickly? I mean Merlin, they've just passed the marriage law not even a week ago haven't they." Mr. Weasley, who was expecting the outrage calmly responded to his wife's question. "They haven't matched everyone yet Molly just the younger witches and wizards who have become popular and important in the eyes of the public." This deflated some of the tension in the room and everyone retook their seats while considering this.

"You mean war heroes," asked Ron quietly not looking jubilant over the idea of possibly marrying Hermione anymore. His father nodded and spoke "Yes Ronald, those of you that have significant impact of the war or sufficient social standing will be matched up first and fastest and according to Kingsley the charm works fast enough to have many of the first couples paired in the upcoming week." Mr. Weasley stood up and paced again before he continued "I know you three do not agree with the marriage law but the effects it may have are crucial to the future and therefore you guys have to be the ones that support it the most" he said while pointedly looking at Ron, Hermione and Harry. "The golden trio," murmured Ginny "the only three people beloved by society enough to get people on board with such a heinous law." Arthur nodded "exactly."

"What do they want us to do?" asked Harry "get matched up and have a couple interviews where we lie about how happy we are with the Ministry" he said angrily. Arthur looked partially guilty when he said "more or less yes lad." Harry sighed and rubbed his forehead with his fingers. Despite not wanting to, Mr. Weasley forced himself to continue "after you three go to the Ministry to get matched up Kingsley has taken the liberty to set up an altogether interview featuring the four heroes of the war that helped the light beat the dark."

Hermione frowned as did everyone else in the room. _'Four heroes? Who's the fourth per… Oh._ ' Mr. Weasley could only be talking about one other person for him to have been singled out specifically from all the other war hero's. Judging from the looks of everyone else's faces that Hermione could see they had come to the same conclusion. "Dad," said Ron grimacing with the thought of who his father was referencing "just to be clear you're talking about- "

"Liam Rosier" whispered Hermione.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 2: Fuck all our lives

Draco:

"Fuck my life," said Theodore Nott before taking a swig of his fire whiskey. "Matter of fact, fuck all our lives they've all gone to shit anyways."

Blaise Zabini rolled his eyes at his friend's words and snatched the bottle of fire whiskey out of Theodore's hands. "Why bother," he said taking a swig as well "the ministry's doing a pretty bang up job aren't they?" Nott tried to snatch the bottle back from Blaise but was unsuccessful. Theodore groaned and slammed his forehead down on the bar counter, "Blaise when you invited us all here to Italy I figured booze was part of the plan."

Blaise frowned before responding "it was Theo, but not enough booze for you to drink yourself to death before you meet your lovely new bride of yours." He said while smirking. This elicited another groan from Theo. "I hope she's got a nice set of tits or I'm pitching myself off the roof of your mansion Blaise." Draco Malfoy chuckled before taking a seat between his two friends at the bar.

"You and me both mate," was all he said before taking a swig of the butter beer in his hand. After swallowing he continued "honestly though, what the fuck is the bloody ministry and that asshole Shacklebolt thinking trying to marry everyone off, he can't seriously think this'll work." Theo shrugged before hopping off his stool and beginning to walk out of the room.

"Where you going mate?" called Blaise. Theo didn't bother turning around "going to go plow your mum one last time before I can get thrown in Azkaban for it." Was what he said while he went in search of a toilet.

Blaise growled ", dickhead" to a snickering Theo.

Draco smiled at his friends. The war had done a number on them all and especially to himself and Theo. They'd both been forced to take the Dark Mark and commit atrocious acts on missions and at the revels that left scars on their souls as bad as the ones on their arms. After the light had won, Lucius Malfoy and Derrick Nott had been sentenced to Azkaban for life with Derrick receiving the kiss and Lucius being allowed to keep his soul for helping the light during the fight's end.

Narcissa Malfoy had been pardoned for her crimes along with her son by Harry Potter for not identifying them at Malfoy Manor as well as lying to the Dark Lord himself to keep Harry alive while Theo had been pardoned due to his "heroic" act of saving Fred Weasley from death by killing two death eaters.

While Narcissa had left for France to heal by herself, Theo, who was basically an orphan, and Draco had stayed in England at Nott Manor and isolated themselves away from much of the outside world.

Slowly they had begun to heal and open up and they eventually had found the strength to once again enter the public eye. Their first appearance post war was at Diagon Alley and when they had stepped on the street you could practically hear a pin drop as the normally busy and loud crowd stopped and stared at the both of them. They had both been wary and expecting of death eater insults and perhaps having stuff thrown at them, not that they didn't feel they deserved it. Imagine their surprise when many people simply nodded and went back to what they were doing and where they were going although a few people still jeered and glared at them as they walked by on their way to get some ice cream.

It had probably helped they both later realized, that the _Daily Prophet_ had written a piece on Theo, Draco, Blaise and Liam which talked about Theo's saving of Fred and Draco's betrayal of the Dark Lord as well his saving of Remus Lupin another well-known and respected Order member.

Slowly but surely Draco and Theo had been able to let go of some of the guilt they carried and start to act like their old selves minus the pureblood supremacy although they were still working on becoming completely accepting. The fact that Theo had made a joke about banging Blaise's mom just showed how far he had come from the man who once stood on a ledge of his childhood home with no wand or broom contemplating whether he should jump just to end the pain and nightmares.

"Hello," said Blaise snapping his finger in front of Draco's face. Draco snapped out of his reverie and asked "wha- what?" Blaise shook his head smirking all the while "jeez mate you look like your high or something don't tell me you're drunk too," Draco shook his head.

"Nah, just reminiscing I guess," was all he said. Blaise nodded. "As I was saying, it doesn't matter whether it works or not all that matters is that the stupid thing got passed so it's going to happen no matter what people say" said the dark skinned wizard in response to his blonde friend's question. Draco was unimpressed with the answer but couldn't muster up a more thoughtful response other than "I guess you're right,"

Theo chose this moment to renter the room with a plate full of turkey sandwiches. "Got the elves to make some food to soak up all the alcohol," he said while placing the sandwiches on the bar. He took one and couldn't resist taking another stab at Blaise.

"Peeked in on your mom's bedroom Blaise and I got to say, the red knickers make her look even more delectable." The only response he got was a "fuck you," from Blaise before his friend bit into his sandwich. A chuckling Theo asked "so what were you guys talking about?" Draco swallowed his mouthful before responding "Kinglsey passing that stupid marriage law."

A few years ago they might've been able to do something with the influence their fathers had but those times were no more. Theo snorted "oh yeah we never did finish our discussion on that foolproof plan by our brilliant new Ministry and our full of wisdom new Minister." He shook his head with obvious distaste. "Tell me again why we helped those fuckers in the war."

Draco shrugged "you're going to have to ask Liam for that answer." Blaise frowned and stood up "where is Liam by the way he got the owl and he wrote back that he was coming over but he still hasn't showed up."

Liam:

Liam Rosier: pureblood, orphan, war hero and according to the Sunday edition of the _Daily Prophet_ : soon to be husband.

But that wasn't what he was thinking about currently. Currently, all his thoughts were focused in on the beautiful witch who he was currently inside of. Soft, feminine skin wrapped around him and gentle, blue eyes stared into his own intense, chocolate brown ones as he moved rhythmically.

Beautiful was the first word that came to people when they looked at Daphne Greengrass because she was breathtakingly gorgeous. Her long blond hair fanned out over the pillows and across her bed making her look like an angel.

She mewled with pleasure as his thrusts became more and more rough causing her back to arch. Her arms tightened around him as one hand slid down to his bum urging him on. "Fuck... please Liam," Daphne moaned. She was on the edge of an orgasm which was signaled by her nails digging into his flesh and her legs wrapping around his hips driving him deeper inside her.

Liam, who was nearing his own end, was happy to oblige by gripping her hips hard giving himself a handhold while he moved faster and harder.

A few minutes later, the crisp duvet which had originally been neatly folded on Daphne's bed was kicked to the floor. Both Daphne and Liam were still panting and naked after their long round of sex that left them both satisfied and lazy. Daphne was propped up on the headboard with her full lips in a beautiful smile as she gazed down at Liam who had his head in her lap. "What are you thinking about Liam?" she asked as she gently ran her hand through her lover's hair. Liam sighed as Daphne's nails scratched his scalp soothingly before responding "nothing at all Daphne."

It was a lie. They both knew exactly what he was thinking about. Everybody and their mum were talking about the Ministry's new marriage law, whether they were supporting it or against it.

"Are you sure Liam," Daphne asked with an amused smile "because I can practically see the gears spinning in that brain of yours." Liam sighed again and grabbed the hand that wasn't running through his hair so he could kiss her palm. "Are you not worried Daphne?" he asked.

Daphne's smile faltered as she bent down and kissed his forehead. Liam was expecting an answer like 'of course not' or 'it'll work itself out' but was not expecting the moist eyes he saw as Daphne straightened up. Liam sat up in distress at what he saw in Daphne's eyes in order to place his hand against her cheek before softly saying "don't cry love."

Daphne gave a watery smile as she nodded before nestling her face in the crook of his neck. Liam could feel her hot tears that leaked out of her eyes and fell slowly down his chest. He hugged her tightly as she cried slowly into his body.

She loved him. He knew that, hell everybody really knew that. But he didn't love her. Quite frankly, most days Liam himself wasn't sure if he could ever love anyone anymore after everything that had happened. He was broken inside and people could sense that something was off with him even back at Hogwarts before the war and everything else.

He had gone to his mother's villa in Paris to recuperate after the war and escape all the attention of being one of the "four."

He didn't feel like a hero and he didn't really feel like being treated as such by anyone. Narcissa Malfoy had visited him from time to time just to see how he was doing. She pitied him and he could tell. His mother was dead and his father was as good as dead to him so that made him an orphan. Somehow, he didn't know how, Daphne had found out where he was and she bought an apartment in Paris to be close to him. He was willing to bet it was Narcissa who had tipped off Daphne but he didn't have it in him to snap at the older woman just for caring about him. She reminded him so much of his own mother that he missed every day.

Daphne had visited regularly from then on day by day to see how she was doing. He could never really tell when and why she fell for him. He had kept himself isolated from every other house beside Slytherin and he still didn't keep up much with his housemates who sensed it was best that he was left alone. He knew Draco and Blaise because their mothers were very good friends and thus they had grown up together. He had chanced upon friendship with Theo and the only reason they had clicked was because of how fucked up they both were. Other than that he didn't really have many other friends.

Daphne was different. She was bubbly and kind and outgoing which was in complete contrast to himself. The only thing they had in common was how attractive they both were. Daphne had blossomed into a beautiful woman while Liam had grown into an incredibly handsome man who was admired throughout Hogwarts by girls and even a few boys. They never really tried to speak to him though sensing that he was not a person to approach. Daphne hadn't cared about that. He still remembered the day when she had first really talked to him.

 _Flashback:_

 _It was second year before the Chamber of Secrets had been opened and it was a normal Thursday afternoon._

 _Liam and Theo were seated at a desk in the library calmly doing their essays for History of Magic. Neither of them spoke much to each other and it was a time before Theo had shed his awkwardness and had adopted Blaise's jokester type personality._

 _"Hey," came a sweet voice. Liam didn't bother looking up. Why would he? No one really bothered to talk to him and so he assumed whoever it was wasn't talking to him. Suddenly a soft hand came into view stilling his right hand which he had been writing his essay with. He looked up this time with a frown and froze as he saw a pretty blonde witch dressed in Slytherin green right around his own age. "You're Liam right?" she asked with a smile. Completely entranced by her smile Liam could do nothing but nod not trusting his voice to say something stupid._

 _"I'm Daphne Greengrass," she said before letting go of his hand and offering it to him for a handshake. Liam eyed it warily, he didn't like to touch people much and he wasn't sure if he wanted to touch her. The witch laughed at his reluctance "come on Rosier it's just a handshake I promise I don't have cooties or anything like that." Although still wary, Liam shook Daphne's hand quickly before withdrawing and asking "how do you know my name?"_

 _She grinned at him before responding "everyone knows who you are Liam" she said "Slytherin house might be disliked by everyone else but we still make an effort to remember everybody and take care of them even if they say close to nothing and look like they're plotting murder every second," she joked._

 _Liam nodded slowly. "Do you need something," he asked warily. Her bubbliness was sort of freaking him out even if she was pretty._

 _"As a matter a fact I do" she said "I need you to stop sulking around and actually socialize for once." The look on his face must have been priceless because she giggled at him. "Listen I know you're not the outgoing type but you should at least come to the first quidditch game of the season to support Draco in his first match."_

 _He turned his attention back to his paper after hearing her request. "Draco and Blaise already asked and I said no because I've got work to do," he replied picking up his quill. Daphne pouted at his response before turning to Theo. "Hey Theo" she said._

 _Theo blushed heavily and he mumbled something while Liam tried not to laugh at his friend's uncomfortableness. Daphne moved forward and placed a hand on Theo's cheek before saying "thanks for the help on potions and please try to get your stubborn friend to come with you huh?"_

 _Theo nodded while his blush deepened even more from having Daphne's hand on his face. Daphne grinned at him before leaving the library. Theo turned to him and said "we've got to go to that game Liam."_

 _Liam snorted and shook his head_

Surprisingly enough, Theo had managed to drag him to the game and Daphne had looped her arm through his to prevent him from leaving partway through. Needless to say it was funny to see Potter almost swallow the snitch when winning due to how pissed off Draco was.

He could feel Daphne's sobs subside and her sniffling became less and less apparent before she finally lifted her head from his shoulder. She offered him a smile and she looked pretty even with tear tracks and puffy eyes.

"I'm sorry Liam" she said "I- I just don't want this to be real." She sniffled again "I know because of how the Ministry is there's very little chance we'll be matched up and I just want you to stay with me."

Liam couldn't do much more than say "I know," while kissing away fresh tears falling down Daphne's face. He didn't love her but he cared a great deal about her which put her in a select few group of people who were important to him. He didn't show much affection but he always showed a lot with Daphne because of her importance.

Daphne asked the question she didn't necessarily want the answer to.

"When?"

"Sunday, that's when I've been scheduled to go to the Ministry in order to receive my match, you?"

"Sunday as well from the letter I received,"

Liam took a very deep breath in order to collect himself. "Daphne-" he began but she cut him off.

"You're ending this aren't you," she asked with a bitter smile "whatever this is."

Liam took another deep breath before responding with a firm "yes." Never had Daphne been so hurt. Not necessarily because of Liam's answer, which was understandable, but because of what the Ministry was forcing them both to do. She knew that if Liam truly wanted, they could continue their affair in secret regardless of the consequences but she also knew exactly why Liam would never, ever cheat on his future wife.

Lyle Rosier was never a good husband to Liam's mother and his affairs were well known. Liam steadfastly hated his father and because of that she envied his future wife because she knew he would make an effort to take care of her to the best of his abilities due to things he witnessed between his parents when he was younger.

"Will you promise me something Liam?" She asked taking his hand into hers and playing with his fingers. Liam stiffened. Promises were special with Liam due to things his mother had taught him.

' _When you are asked to promise to do something Liam, the person that asks you to promise is likely depending on you for something of great importance.'_ He remembered her saying. _'They will also likely be someone close to you and someone who is important and therefore you should always fulfill your promises to them because of that.'_

Whenever Liam promised anything it was basically a guarantee. "What is it Daph" he asked warily. She made eye contact with him while continuing to play with his hand.

"Promise me if five years from now you divorce your wife and I divorce my husband you'll give me a chance Liam."

"A chance for what?"

"A chance to make you happy. A chance for a happy marriage and happy children. A chance for me to give you the happy life that you deserve Liam."

Liam hesitated with his answer and Daphne knew he was going to say no. "I don't deserve you Daphne," he said with a heavy sigh "if I promise you this you'll resist happiness with whoever you're matched with so you can wait it out for me and I don't want that." He glanced at her clock and realized he was very late to lunch and drinks at Blaise's mansion. He leaned over to kiss Daphne on the cheek before getting out of bed and starting to put his clothes on.

"I love you Liam," said Daphne quietly. Liam tensed slightly before responding with "I know."

Daphne got out of bed as well displaying her lush naked body. Liam had gotten his boxers on and was just about to start putting his pants on as well when he felt Daphne's hands wrap around his hard abs and her soft cheek press up against his back.

"Will you promise me something else then Liam," she asked kissing his upper back. She took his silence as permission to continue. "Will you stay with me these next few days?" she asked.

Liam turned around so he could look into her beautiful blue eyes. "You know we can't continue this Daphne," was all he said.

Daphne nodded. "I know we can't and because of that I want you to come to me still so I can enjoy the time we have left together." She looked square into his eyes deeply with her own shining with so much love and adoration it made looking into them painful.

Liam knew he should say no and be on his way to avoid dragging things out. Too bad he wasn't strong enough to say no.

"I promise,"

Daphne gave him a beautiful smile, the same smile he remembered from the Hogwarts library all those years ago. "Thank you Liam," she whispered before stepping closer to him and wrapping him in a tight hug. Liam returned her hug and inhaled her scent of vanilla and cinnamon that made his cock harden exponentially.

Daphne didn't mind and lifted her head from his chest to grin at him "you should fix that before you go see Blaise or else he might think it's for him" she joked. He knew he should get going or else Draco would moan forever about how late he was and then he would never hear the end of it.

Too bad he wasn't strong enough for that either.

"Fuck Blaise," he muttered before grabbing Daphne and plunging his tongue in her mouth while his hands roamed her naked body. Daphne moaned as he tasted her sweet mouth and she wrapped her legs around him as he led her back to her bed and laid her down.

"Liam," she moaned as his head dipped to her chest to lick the space between her ample breasts. "The others really will be wondering where you are," she managed to get out. Liam lowered his head to her right breast and took her areola into his mouth and suckled it as he sampled her delicious taste. He released her nipple long enough to say "I don't care," before gently biting her left breast making Daphne gasp in pleasure. He managed to get his boxers off while he stroked her pussy with enough speed to give her pleasure but not enough to give her a release.

"Please Liam," she moaned again. Liam was again very happy to oblige. He entered her easily due to how wet she was for him and began to set a rhythm for his thrusts for her to match.

He should've stopped this today but he had already given Daphne his promise and he would see it through. He would enjoy his time with her and come Sunday, barring a miracle their affair would end and Liam would meet his new wife. He hoped Daphne would find love and happiness with her match because he knew that he would not be able to give her the former.

 **Here is the new chapter for this week I will try to make sure that I update at least once a week as my schedule gets more hectic. We meet Liam for the first time here who is the OC and Hermione's husband. Their story will be centered along with Draco and Ginny with another couple getting a few chapters here and there. If anyone is wondering what Liam is supposed to look like look up Francisco Lachowski and Amber Heard for Daphne Greengrass. Please review and tell me how I'm doing and give me any suggestions for the story.**

 **P.S. As you can tell Liam's father is a very bad person and will become relevant later on in the story**


	5. Chapter 5

Ginny:

Ginny stared at the image of herself reflected in her bathroom mirror.  
Pale, freckled skin that was once radiant was baggy from lack of sleep and looked dreary if anything. Her voluminous, red hair was clumped together similarly to the way Hermione's hair used to be. She sighed at the obvious ugly changes to her demeanor internally and externally. Her normally chipper attitude was replaced with a permanent scowl and she had more than once snapped at her siblings and Hermione in the past week.

'How had shit hit the fan so fast?' she wondered. It had been more than a year since Harry had killed Voldemort and she still remembered vividly how Harry had come to her in the aftermath and passionately kissed her in front of the entire Great Hall. She figured that that would be the end of all their troubles. She thought that as soon as Hogwarts was repaired, she would return for her final year and all would be well and she could finally be happy with Harry who had no reason to pull away from her now.

How wrong she had been. All that happiness had faded away so easily with that one _Daily Prophet_ edition that tilted her world off its axis. She was going to be married to someone by summer's end. She always knew she was going to be married and have kids, she didn't know why but it was just a gut feeling that that was the way her life was supposed to go. Her twelve-year-old day dreams were filled with images of her and Harry Potter tying the knot and up until last Sunday that didn't seem like just a dream anymore.

Technically she and Harry could get matched up and still have their happily ever after but it was something Ginny doubted. Harry marrying her would prove nothing since everyone knew of his connections to the Weasley's and his match was easily the most important. Chosen One and all right?

Ginny wasn't an attention whore but she always liked the moniker of being the Chosen One's girlfriend up until now when that nickname meant so much.

Harry had sat her down yesterday, two days before they were set to meet with the Ministry, to talk about their relationship. She knew that he was prompted into doing so by the letters they had received that morning from the Ministry "officially" requesting their attendance along with their parents to the floor of the Ministry's Matrimonial & Domestic division to receive their matches.

He had told her to be happy. Ginny scoffed to herself and shook her head. 'Bloody noble git,' she thought. Harry had voiced his request that she not shut herself away from her new husband if it was not him.

" _It's not fair to him or to you Gin," he said "you deserved to be loved and cherished and if you stay just chasing me you'll never open yourself to the bloke."_

 _He had tightened his grip on her hand. "I love you," he said looking directly at her with his brilliant emerald eyes. It was the first time he had told her that. She felt tears prick her eyes as she said "I love you," back._

" _Whoever you get matched up with is going to be the luckiest man in the world Ginny" he said as his non occupied hand reached up and brushed away the tears that were falling down her face._

" _Be open to him Ginny and live your life with him because I'm going to do the same with my wife because it's unfair to punish them and force them to live unhappily for our selfish reasons," he said._

" _I don't care about being selfish Harry," she sobbed "I want to be selfish just this once so I can be happy with you."_

 _Harry gave her a sad smile before standing her up from the kitchen table. "I know," he whispered "I know how badly you want be selfish cause I feel the same." He hugged her and Ginny laid the side of her head against Harry's chest._

" _You never know Ginny maybe in five years your husband will ask for a divorce and I won't have been matched up with a witch I can love and we'll end up together after all."_

 _He pulled away from her and cupped her cheeks in his two hands._

" _Maybe in five years that will happen and we'll have our happy ending but you can't force that by making yourself miserable."_

 _He leaned forward and captured her lips with his and gently slid his tongue into her mouth. It was goodbye, Ginny realized as she kissed back. She could feel it by the way Harry kissed her. It wasn't overly passionate or overly sentimental with no roaming hands._

 _Harry pulled back from her and kissed her forehead one last time before whispering "be happy Ginevra," and walking away from her._

Ginny turned the water on in her shower and started stripping her clothes while she waited for the water to get hot.

In all honesty she was still nursing the hope that by some miracle her and Harry would be matched and she could avoid this nightmare all together. However, she couldn't stop her mind from roaming and thinking about her new husband. 'Maybe I could be happy' she thought 'if he's a nice man who treats me properly I could be happy even if I don't stay with him after the required five years.'

She stepped into the steaming tub and allowed the hot water to slide down her skin and wet her hair. With the happy thoughts being washed away, her mind automatically switched to the worst case scenario.

Pale skin, grey eyes and a thin boy complete with a vicious sneer flashed through her mind. She shivered despite the warmth of her bathroom as she quickly dismissed that thought. She comforted herself with her own opinion that no sane person would be stupid enough to match a Malfoy and Weasley together with their highly publicized rivalry.

Theo:

Jackson Martin shouldered his way through the crowd to the best of his five foot seven ability. Unfortunately for him, a rather tall fellow with burly shoulders knocked into his arm causing him to drop the incredibly important documents it held.

Jackson scowled at the man's retreating back before bending over and grabbing the dropped papers. 'Bloody hell Jack of all the days for you to finally be late to a meeting this is the day you picked?' he thought. He had had so many boring meetings in his life to the point of where he couldn't count them on his fingers and now something interesting had finally come up and he was late to it. The muggle street in Manchester was specifically selected by the man Jackson was rushing to meet due to its distance from the Ministry of Magic.

The meeting was set at Friday 12 o'clock sharp. It was now twelve-thirty.

Finally, the café the pair had settled on came into view and Jackson fought his way through the bustling crowd to get to the doors. Pausing in order to check his reflection in the mirror and straighten himself up, he opened the doors to the restaurant. The hostess looked up from her... what was it called? A telly thing or something. She gave him a warm smile and simply said "he told me to expect someone who looked like he ran a marathon here."

Jackson flushed and meekly responded with "that's me." The hostess grabbed a menu and motioned for him to follow her through the inside of the café. They walked far inside before taking a left towards a corner booth that was already occupied. A man was hunched over what looked like a cappuccino and was slowly stirring a spoon inside his drink.

Theodore Nott.

Jackson had seen pictures of him throughout articles in the wizarding world, often aside Draco Malfoy and Liam Rosier. Cute was the word his wife had used to describe him when she had glanced over his shoulder to look at the headlines on the paper one day. He had snapped at her for that comment to say the least.

Jackson took the menu from the woman and slid down on the opposite side of the booth from Nott. He waited for some sort of acknowledgement but got none as Nott continued to stir his untouched drink with a spoon. Jackson took the time to study the man across from him who was surprisingly dressed like a muggle.

That "cute" face was hidden underneath a white cap over his head which was hunched over his coffee. Nott had chosen a white t shirt under an open grey button down as well as skinny jeans and a pair of grey sneakers.

Jackson, who had felt that the silence was bordering on awkward, cleared his throat. "I suppose an apology is in order than," he asked more than said.

Nott snorted and finally looked up and pierced Jackson with a dark glare making the smaller man shrink in his seat a little bit. Theo stood at a solid six feet and had joined a muggle gym where he found a nice place to simply work out frustrations. He wasn't overly muscular or anything but his muscles still rippled underneath his button down and his undershirt fit tight. All in all someone who Jackson was not keen on upsetting.

"Yes I do believe you do you imbecile," was all Theo said. Jackson for the first time since their whole agreement started was wondering what he had gotten himself into after he had just done something that could get him thrown in Azkaban if it were ever found out. It had seemed all too easy for him in retrospect. Just do the job for the boy collect the money and they go on their separate ways. Every circumstance before they met seemed perfect to the point of where Jackson was in serious need of money while Theo had all the money in the world to give provided his job be done. Jackson, with an epiphany that should've come sooner, realized that Theo had selected him specifically from his department for this job.

'You idiot' he thought 'of course you're special why do you think he sought you out over everyone else.' He doubted anyone else in his department would've taken the job he was given due to the consequences.

Due to the Marriage Law, the staff working for the pairings had all receive pay raises due to their increase in work but Jackson was the only one struggling financially. His mother and father in law both had been stricken by the same disease that had apparently been passed on to them when his and his wife's parents had gone on a joint vacation to South America. They were both stuck in a restricted ward in St. Mungo's for unknown maladies while the research into the antidote was sapping the majority of his salary leaving very little for him and his wife. Then came Theodore Nott calling from a shadowy corner in Diagon Alley with the answer to all his problems and Jackson had taken the out far too easily without considering the consequences. In his defense taking the job called out to the rebellious side of him who had wanted to be an auror in his younger years before he failed potions not to mention how approachable Theo was.

While the boy he had first met had been more of a jokester type and was close to friendly, the man in front of him was radiating anger.

"Look I'm sorry I got away as soon as I could," said Jackson in an attempt to appease the boy. "The ol' boss had me working double time you know how it is," he said with an attempt at a grin.

"This is no joking matter Martin," said Theo with a straight face. Strange, Jackson was just realizing that too.

Jackson held his hands up and replied "I know, please calm down Theodore I did it just like I said I would." Jackson reached to his side and opened up his folder and slid it over to Theo.

Theo flipped it around so he could read it and smiled at what he saw. The smile stayed on his face as he looked back up at Jackson who inwardly breathed a sigh of relief that the boy was in a better mood.

"Thank you," said Theo "I was afraid your late arrival meant the plan had fallen through." Jackson shook his head and was about to respond when a waitress came over and asked if he would like anything to which he replied "no." The strawberry blonde turned her eyes to Theo and asked in a sultry voice "is that coffee too bitter sweetheart perhaps I can interest you in something sweet?" The double entendre would've been missed only if the person was deaf.

Theo replied "no thanks," causing the woman to pout but move on from their table. Jacksons stared over at Theo and said "I'm a married man and an honorable one too but if I was in your shoes lad she wouldn't have her clothes on by now." Theo simply shook his head and said "I consider myself and honorable man as well and," he held up the folder "according to this I'm going to be a one-woman man on Sunday.

Jackson mentally patted himself on the back for his detective work. So Nott hadn't chosen his woman just because she was pretty, although he had recognized the name and recalled that she was quite pretty. His question had been used to discern Nott's reasoning behind his choice and it was quite clear that his utilization of her as an excuse to not pursue the waitress meant one thing.

Nott was in love with his artificial match.

There was one thing that was bothering Jackson still. "Why ask for me to make this match happen?" he asked "surely you would've preferred a woman you need and she would've had a husband who would've provided something she needed as well." He had taken up the offer of money so fast he had not really thought of the situation all that much and was curious now.

Theodore Nott's smile disappeared and his glare was back instantly. 'Me and my big mouth' thought Jackson. "That is not your concern, you understand me?" asked Nott.

Jackson vigorously nodded his head.

"Good," said Theo while inconspicuously poking Jackson in the knee with his wand making the older man stiffen.

"Now as a formality I will warn you right now that if you ever breathe word of what I had you do to anyone I will destroy you."

"I will never tell a soul I promise you Theodore the penalty for me will be even worse than for you."

Theo grinned with no humor and softly said "good." He put his wand away, which allowed Jackson to relax, and reached inside his pocket and pulled out a small, black, velvet pouch which he slid on to the table.

"10,000 Galleons as promised"

Jackson scratched his head before grabbing the pouch. "Isn't it a bit small for 10,000 Galleons?" he asked.

Theo rolled his eyes before replying "theirs an enlargement charm on the pouch, all of it's in their trust me." And Jackson did. The Nott coffers were practically endless and 10,000 would barely be noticeable.

Theo stood up and tossed a couple bills on the table and nodded his head at Jackson. "Pleasure doing business with you," were his parting words before he began striding out of the café.

 **Hello Everyone! Thank you to those of you who have reviewed, followed and favorited! I know I said I would try to upload once a week but that plan fell through. My excuses are AP exams, finals, graduation, college orientation and grad parties so far. I'll be traveling out of the country in a couple of weeks so I'll do my best to work on parts of the story then as well. Moving on from the real world problems I hope you all enjoy this update and feel free to post your guesses on who exactly Theo sabotaged the Ministry to be matched up with. As always please review.**


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